Musings of a scifi/fantasy fangirl // Women of Middle-earth database

isildur

Silmariën “Shining Home”
born 521 SA in Armenelos, she was the daughter of Tar-Elendil, the 4th King of Númenor and was the mother of Valandil, the first Lord of Andúnië. Silmariën was the oldest child of Tar-Elendil. She had a younger sister named Isilmë, and a younger brother Meneldur. Meneldur succeeded their father as King in 740 SA and he himself was the father of Aldarion the Mariner (wife of Erendis and father of Ancalimë).

Silmariën married the nobleman Elatan of Andúnië and thus moved to that city. Andúnië was a port city on the western coast of Númenor. Their son Valandil (“Devoted to the Valar”), became the first Lord of Andúnië. Although not in direct line of royal succession, these Lords were important to the future of their royal family. The Lords of Andúnië were the leaders of the Elendili, or Elf-friends, the Faithful who still supported the Elves and Valar even after the Kings became corrupt. During the Downfall of Númenor more than 2500 years later, Elendil, the heir to the Lord of Andúnië line and therefore a descendant of Silmariën, fled to Middle-earth with his sons Isildur and Anarion and many of the remaining Faithful, where they founded the line of Kings of Gondor and Arnor. Elendil and his sons were the only royal descendants that survived, since Ar-Pharazôn died in the destruction, thus they became Kings of the Númenórean descendants, or Dúnedain.

Silmariën could be said to be the most significant person in Númenor’s royal family for two reasons: because she was the founder of the Lords of Andúnië, therefore continuing the Númenórean royal bloodline in Middle-earth after the Downfall. Also, she inherited the sword Narsil and the Ring of Barahir from her father and these sacred heirlooms were handed down through her descendants for many generations and eventually reached Aragorn. She also owned the original Elendilmir, “Star of Elendil”, a precious white jewel that she passed to the Lords of Andúnië and eventually to Elendil and used by him as a token of Dúnedain royalty instead of a crown.